Partners in Success and Succession
About
Exclusive succession planning for owners preparing to transition—led by operators who’ve lived it. We’ve guided family businesses through growth, complexity, and transition, delivering practical strategies, empathetic guidance, and outcomes that endure.
Successful Outcomes, Secured.
Where Trusted Connections Provide Meaningful Outcomes.
At TrueStake, our mission is simple and uncompromising: provide successful outcomes. We architect succession strategies that protect your legacy, elevate valuation, and ensure leadership continuity—delivered with white-glove discipline, absolute confidentiality, and access to a trusted community of operators and successors.
Invite-Only Onboarding
Admission based on fit, readiness, and shared standards of excellence.
Blueprint Built from Real Transitions
A tailored, evidence-based framework for exit readiness and leadership continuity.
Elite Operator and Successor Network
Vetted buyers, investors, and successor talent aligned to your values and objectives.
End-to-End Stewardship
Discreet guidance from strategy to close—every detail accounted for.
How It Works
Define ➔ Connect ➔ Achieve
A disciplined roadmap, delivered with absolute discretion.
Define
Clarify objectives, timelines, and successor profiles.
Together, we establish precise outcomes: valuation targets, transition milestones, leadership requirements, and deal parameters—aligned to your legacy and liquidity goals.
Connect
Access curated capital, buyers, and successor talent.
We orchestrate diligence, governance, communications, and leadership transition—tracking value created and continuity delivered, from signing to successful integration.
Achieve
Execute with confidence; measure what endures.
Through our private network, we introduce the right partners—investors, strategic acquirers, and executive candidates—vetted for fit, discretion, and shared standards.
Meet The Partners
Kyle Putzstuck
Prior to starting TrueStake, Kyle was a director at MorrisAnderson a middle-market turnaround advisory firm. He also held positions as the assistant controller for Z Capital Partners, a leading global alternative investment manager with approximately $2.3 billion of regulatory assets under management, where he helped manage all aspect of a distressed debt for control private equity fund and as senior accountant at Ernst &Young where he focused on assurance services for the asset management industry.
He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Illinois and Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP). Kyle graduated summa cum laude with a master’s and bachelor’s degree of accounting science from Northern Illinois University.
Industries Serverd
•Paper, Watersports, Retail, Oil & Gas, Metals, Construction and Financial Services.
Marc Allen
Marc Allen brings a unique set of perspectives learned from his family’s business, AMD Industries, Inc.. His focus is on sales, marketing, and people. Through that lens, he is great at aligning teams around growth initiatives.
As the former VP of Sales and Marketing of his family-owned $35M In-Store Display Company, he was instrumental in helping GoPro launch their Global In-Store display program and has a history of managing multimillion dollar product launches for large consumer electronics companies. After successfully transitioning out of the family business, Marc has started several companies My Storybook Moments, Vitapics.com, Vizumei.com and InciteXp, Inc.
In addition, he holds numerous Business Advisory roles. He is currently a business advisor to a $25 Million Metal Fabricator where he helped to facilitate the sale of the company. He is an advisor to an international product development and supply chain company where he was instrumental in helping them win the business for the number one selling SKU in Target and an advisor to injection molding company helping to manage growth and new client acquisition.
Marc has a bachelor’s of science-accountancy from DePaul University.
Alex Mayan
Alex Mayan leads the firm’s technical, data, and digital strategy initiatives. He brings a unique combination of buy-side M&A experience, analytics, AI, and growth strategy to help owners prepare for successful business transitions.
Prior to TrueStake, Alex held C-suite responsibility at a buy-side M&A firm, giving him direct experience in how buyers evaluate companies, assess risk, identify value, and determine readiness for acquisition. Through that lens, he helps owners better understand the technical, operational, and growth signals that can influence valuation, succession, and long-term outcomes.
Alex has over 15 years of experience helping companies scale through data-driven strategy, enterprise analytics, performance systems, and digital growth. He has worked across both B2B and B2C environments, translating complex data into practical decisions for executives, operators, and owners.
He has also served as a Guest Lecturer at Harvard Business School, sharing insights on search engine marketing, AI, and the evolving intersection of data, creativity, and business strategy.
Industries Served
• Financial Services, Consumer Products, Health & Wellness, Outdoor, Gaming, Higher Education, Marketing Technology and Digital Commerce.
Operating Partners
Experienced operators who have built, led, acquired, and successfully transitioned businesses. They provide practical insight, strategic guidance, and real-world expertise to help owners maximize value and navigate complex business transitions.
Brian Koski
Deal Partner
Brian Koski brings more than two decades of C-suite leadership and board experience across public companies, private equity-backed businesses, and family office-owned organizations. He has led six companies through periods of rapid growth, strategic acquisitions, and successful portfolio optimization, with executive leadership roles at General Electric, HD Supply, and Riverbend Industries. Today, Brian works alongside business owners to accelerate growth, execute strategic transactions, and build stronger, more valuable businesses prepared for long-term success.
Bill Barta
Deal Partner
After building, growing, and successfully exiting his own businesses, Bill Barta brings firsthand experience in creating enterprise value for middle-market companies. Following his early career at Coopers & Lybrand, he served as President, CEO, and owner of Rider Dickerson, where he led more than a decade of sustained growth before merging and ultimately selling the business to Mittera. Today, Bill advises business owners on financial strategy, operational improvement, and growth initiatives that strengthen company value and support successful ownership transitions.
Liam Stanton
Deal Partner
An entrepreneur, business leader, and strategic advisor, Liam Stanton has built and led multiple companies while helping organizations grow through technology, operational improvement, and market expansion. His experience spans entrepreneurial ventures, manufacturing businesses, and civic leadership, where he has championed practical solutions for economic development and organizational modernization. Today, Liam helps business owners leverage innovation, strengthen operations, and position their companies for sustainable growth and long-term value creation.
Mark Rooney
Deal Partner
Mark Rooney has spent more than 25 years leading manufacturing and industrial organizations through operational growth, process improvement, and business transformation. As President of the U.S. subsidiary of Venjakob/Nutro, he led engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, customer service, and financial operations while delivering some of the company’s strongest revenue and profitability years. Today, Mark helps business owners optimize operations, improve execution, and build scalable organizations positioned for long-term value creation and ownership transitions.
Kyle Reppond
Deal Partner
Throughout a career spanning more than 30 years, Kyle Reppond has specialized in operational transformation, turnaround management, and improving performance across the oil and gas, industrial manufacturing, and business services sectors. He has held executive leadership positions with Precision Castparts Corporation (PCC) and diversified industrial organizations before advising private equity lenders on stabilizing distressed businesses and preparing them for successful exits. Today, Kyle works with business owners to strengthen operations, improve organizational performance, and create lasting enterprise value through practical, operator-led execution.
Jorge Sorokin
Deal Partner
With more than 30 years of executive leadership experience, Jorge Sorokin has helped companies improve profitability, operational performance, and enterprise value across manufacturing, private equity portfolio companies, and middle-market businesses. He has served as an interim COO and CEO, led large-scale operational transformations, and began his career at General Electric before driving a major turnaround at American Optical that generated more than $30 million in savings. Today, Jorge partners with business owners to implement practical, data-driven strategies that strengthen operations, accelerate growth, and prepare businesses for successful transitions.
Ready to Secure Your Legacy?
Begin with a private readiness conversation. Admission is limited to owners aligned with our standards of discretion and excellence.